Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Southlake Public Library Blog

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire; it is the time for home." ~Edith Sitwell

Winter is also the time to read a good book! And there are many available to you as a library card holder. We've got exciting new books to help you celebrate the holidays and get into the spirit of the season. Your friendly librarians are always happy to recommend a book if you're stumped.

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

THE WAVE Some people run from their fears. Others face them head on, even if they come in the form of one hundred foot waves. There is a certain kind of surfer that actively looks for the next epic wave, unhappy until he has ridden the crest of a 50-footer, at the very least. “The Wave” is a story about such surfers, and the “rogue” waves they ride. According to scientists, these waves are occurring more and more often, most likely due to global warming. Oil rigs, tankers, and cruise ships the world over are confronted with brutal waves, often with deadly consequences. The story, told by Susan Casey, (a surfer herself) centers around Laird Hamilton, perhaps the most famous surfer in the world, and his surfing partners. Casey follows them around the world as they pursue the next big wave. Watching one of these men ride a giant wave must be a bit like watching a car wreck – one wants to look away but one can’t. The story is fascinating, exhilarating, and sobering. According to scientists, these waves can, and often do, wreak havoc on coastlines, killing thousands of people and doing millions of dollars in damage. Scientists are trying to better understand how they are formed, but many of them think it is only a matter of time before one of them does damage on an epic scale. By Susan Casey, Call #: 551.463 CAS

FICTION HARDCOVER

HELL'S CORNER, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) Recalled to duty, Oliver Stone hunts for those responsible for a bomb detonated near the White House. Call #: F BAL

FULL DARK, NO STARS, by Stephen King. (Scribner, $27.99.) Four long stories, light on the supernatural and dealing mostly with grisly human behavior.Call #: F KIN

THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $28.95.) A man who committed a crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth. Call #: F GRI

AMERICAN ASSASSIN, by Vince Flynn. (Atria, $27.99.) In the wake of the Lockerbie bombing, Mitch Rapp takes on his first antiterrorist assignment.Call #: F FLY

FALL OF GIANTS, by Ken Follett. (Dutton, $36.) Five interrelated families from five countries are caught in the upheavals of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Book 1 of the Century trilogy. Call #: F FOL

IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS, by Jan Karon. (Viking, $27.95.) In Ireland, the Episcopal priest Tim Kavanagh finds an old journal that could solve a crime. Call #: F KAR

SAFE HAVEN, by Nicholas Sparks. (Grand Central, $25.99.) The arrival of a mysterious young woman in a small North Carolina town raises questions about her past. Call #: F SPA

THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.Call #: F STO

MOONLIGHT MILE, by Dennis Lehane. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $26.99.) The private detective Patrick Kenzie searches for a runaway teenager who has never forgiven him for returning her to her neglectful mother years earlier.Call #: F LEH

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina. Call#: 973.931 BUS

LIFE, by Keith Richards with James Fox. (Little, Brown, $29.99.) The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ’n’ roll came of age, with the music itself as the book’s core. Call#: BIO RIC

BROKE, by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe. (Threshold/Mercury Radio Arts, $29.99.) The Fox News host’s plan for fixing the country financially seeks to unite Americans around the concept of shared sacrifice. Call#: 973.932 BEC

I REMEMBER NOTHING, by Nora Ephron. (Knopf, $22.95.) Reflections on age and memory, from the author of “I Feel Bad About My Neck.”Call#: 814.54 EPH

UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS, by Portia de Rossi. (Atria, $25.99.) The actress discusses her career, her illnesses and her years of hiding her lesbianism. Call#: BIO DER

EARTH (THE BOOK), by Jon Stewart and others. (Grand Central, $27.99.) A visitor’s guide to the human race, presented by "The Daily Show."Call#: 818.602 STE

PINHEADS AND PATRIOTS, by Bill O'Reilly. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $27.99.) The Fox News commentator scrutinizes the meaning of change in the era of Obama. Call#: 973.932 ORE

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)Call #: YA F RUS